"Policy makers, natural resource managers, regulators, and the public often call on scientists to estimate the potential ecological changes caused by both natural and human-induced stresses, and to determine how those changes will impact people and the environment. To develop forecasts of ecological changes we need to: 1) increase to understanding of ecosystem composition, structure and functioning, 2) expand ecosystem monitoring and apply advanced scientific information to make these complex data widely available, and 3) develop and improve forecast and interpretative tools that use the scientific bases to assess the results of management and science policy actions."

National Ocean Service (NOS)

United States